Background: I received my B.S. degree in Chemistry from University of Science & Technology of China in the summer of 1997, and joined Dr. Kopelman’s research group at the Chemistry Department of the University of Michigan in September 1998. It is hard to get used to American food, but it is really easy for me to love American sports. I am a die-hard sports-watching fan: American football (favorite teams: Green Bay packers and Michigan Wolverines), basketball (Pistons), baseball (NY Yankees), hockey (Red Wings) etc., you name it.

Current Research: Though I know more about sports than my research programs, it is still my responsibility to present here: Dr. Yong-Eun Koo and I cooperated to develop one of the world’s smallest (100-150nm) and most sensitive ratiometric oxygen nanosensors. We used ORMOSIL (Organo-Modified SILica nanoparticles) or PDMA (Poly-Decyl Methacrylate) as the matrix, and Pt(OEP) Ketone (the very best oxygen sensitizer) and OEP as the sensing dye and reference dye respectively. We have been able to use these nanosensors to monitor oxygen inside live cells. These nanosensors are also potential candidate for our on-going PDT (Photo-Dynamic Therapy) project, due to the relative high yield of singlet oxygen produced by Pt(OEP) Ketone. I am currently working on developing ratiometric Singlet Oxygen nanosensors and optical fiber Oxygen/Singlet Oxygen sensors.